#6 Feeling Proud
Let's celebrate 'the girls, the gays and the theys' all year round, not just in June.
Dear Lazies,
Welcome to our special Pride Month edition! 🌈 This month, we're celebrating the incredible spectrum of identities that make our global community so vibrant and powerful. As Lazy Women, we're thrilled to highlight stories, voices, and experiences from all corners of the world. Whether you're part of the LGBTQ+ community or a passionate ally, there's something here for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
So grab your favourite drink, settle in, and let's dive into this joyous celebration of love, diversity, and solidarity. Happy Belated Pride Month!
This month features illustrations by Fdor, a non-binary multidisciplinary artist based in Paris.
With love and pride,
Your Lazies
In the spirit of Pride, we wanted to showcase some of our previous articles from the Lazy Community that touch upon the LGBTQIA+ experience.
1️⃣ So we are out of the closet, but into what? - National Coming Out Day
‘To any young queer person reading this I wish I could offer reassurance. But even in my happiest moment the shame, self-loathing and constant sense of disorientation never cease to linger. ‘
2️⃣ Dignity, privacy, and safety: trans rights in recent years
‘From Hungary banning legal gender recognition, the UK banning puberty-blocking drugs for minors, or the Trump administration erasing trans civil rights protection in healthcare in the US: trans people, one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, have suffered major setbacks in their human rights.’
3️⃣ Booklist: Black LGBT+ book recommendations
‘Now more than ever it’s important to amplify Black voices, so all recommended books are written by Black authors.’
4️⃣ Hungary’s crusade against LGBTQI people amidst COVID crisis
‘More and more countries around the world legalize same-sex marriage and recognize that same-sex couples can be just as good parents of a child. Meanwhile, the Hungarian government pretends to be unaware that hundreds of same-sex couples already provide a loving, safe environment for their children in Hungary.’
Want to contribute to the conversation? Send article pitches to hello@lazywomen.com with “Blog Contribution” as your subject line.
On June 6, Lazy Women moderated a ‘Gender and Feminism in Central Europe’ panel discussion in Bratislava🏳🌈🏳⚧️
From the issues plaguing feminist movements in Central Europe to the unique perspectives that can be incorporated into European feminist discourse – this panel of feminist and LGBTQIA+ activists have covered it all. Right in time for Pride month, some of the key takeaways include fighting for basic rights like abortion, safe space etc, in CEE; creating a sense of solidarity amongst the feminist and LGBTQIA+ organisations in the region and, including other marginalised groups which are excluded from this liberal discourse. They all discussed the many complexities and points of commonality in the Polish, Czech, Hungarian and Slovak contexts.
On June 9, we were invited to a Contre-Soirée Électorale in Paris, at Point Éphémère with Popol Media and a feminist bookshop ‘Un livre et une tasse de thé’, to talk about all things feminism, society and politics, just as the European election results were announced. The collective continues to resist! Moreover, our very own Frosso from Lazy Women was also present for the discussion 👇
With the results of French elections, it’s the right moment to share Lazy Frosso’s article - France’s Far-Right Risk: A Wake-Up Call for Eastern Europe. Here’s what Frosso tells us about her worries:
In 2020 I migrated from Greece to France, after a decade of an unprecedented government debt crisis and a complete 360 of the political landscape. I witnessed firsthand what it means to lose hope in your government, the way it translates in the everyday for your friends and family, how any hope for a change ceases to exist with disappointment and misery dominating our lives. The political situation today in France seems painfully similar. The circumstances are different of course, but the atmosphere feels the same. As I am writing this text the results of the first round of France's surprise legislative elections have just come out: the party of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) is first in the votes, accumulating 34.2%, 5 points ahead of the left coalition. The fear for the worst, the election of a far-right government in France for the first time in modern history, is closer than ever before and everyone should care. With Viktor Orban having just announced a new far-right bloc in the European parliament with his nationalist allies from Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic, the arrival of a far-right French Prime Minister has serious implications for Europe, menacing not only the most hard-won rights of women, immigrants and underrepresented minorities but also the European project as a whole. With this article we decided to investigate in detail what really hides behind the values of patriotism and authoritarianism that the RN vouches for. Please do share it with your friends - and especially to any French friends you might have, urging them to go and vote against the far-right. These must be the most crucial elections for Europe in recent history and each and every one of us should be mobilised.
We do know how important it is to unwind from time to time during these times full of worries and uncertainty - therefore, we decided to organise a meet-up for Paris-based Lazies, continuing the last year tradition! We’re hosting a picnic on July 13, at 16:00 CET.
Join in to meet the lazies’ community and chat over some snacks and drinks in the Buttes-Chaumont park! The event is open to those interested in finding a safe space for like minded feminists. Click on the link for registration details and check our summer playlists below! See you 😉
Look Grandma, we’re DJs now! Just kidding. But if you’re looking for new musical inspiration to get into that sunny mood, check out our Lazy Playlists on Spotify! 👇
Lazy Poppy here, with some reflections on being an ally this Pride Month.
Living in the Netherlands, Pride is not only a month of June but a whole summer starting with Utrecht’s Pride parade and ending with 2 weeks of celebrations in the capital organised by Queer Amsterdam and Pride Amsterdam. In my opinion, it makes hot girl summer that little bit better because there is so much joy in the streets, never mind the glitter. As the queen of pop, Lady Gaga once sang, ‘Rejoice and love yourself today. 'Cause, baby, you were born this way’.
Despite all the love, Pride still remains a protest until everyone can love who they want to love without being persecuted or marginalised for it.
Here are 4 actions of ‘allyship’ you can incorporate into your daily lives as a cis gender/heterosexual woman👇
Use integrating and inclusive language in your regular conversations to normalise and de-gender the vocabulary you use.
Call out all homophobic and transphobic hate no matter if it comes from a family member, acquaintance or a stranger. Silence = complicity.
If you frequent queer bars for a night out, be mindful of who that space is really for. You can enjoy dancing the night away to Charli XCX and Robyn without making others uncomfortable.
Support and amplify local causes that impact your grassroots LGBTQIA+ community e.g. buy from queer-owned businesses.
p.s. Our newsletter team is fully volunteer-based. We’re working on every issue throughout the whole month — picking a topic, collecting submissions and illustrations, writing and editing.
If you like what we do, consider supporting our work here 👇